═──────═══✠═══──────═

“||𝙹⚍∷ ᒲᔑᒲᔑ ᓭ𝙹 ʖ╎⊣ ℸ ̣ ⍑ᔑリ𝙹ᓭ ⍑ᔑ↸ ℸ ̣ 𝙹 ᓵꖎᔑ!¡ ╎リ 𝙹∷↸ᒷ∷ ℸ ̣ 𝙹 ᒲᔑꖌᒷ ⍑ᒷ∷ ↸╎ᓭᔑ!¡!¡ᒷᔑ∷, ||𝙹 ᒲᔑᒲᔑ ᓭ𝙹 ⎓ᔑℸ ̣ , i ᓭ∴ᒷ∷⍊ᒷ↸ ℸ ̣ 𝙹 ᒲ╎ᓭᓭ ⍑ᒷ∷ ╎リ ᒲ|| ᓵᔑ∷ ᔑリ↸ ∷ᔑリ 𝙹⚍ℸ ̣ 𝙹⎓ ⊣ᔑᓭ!” The man, who looked like an old timey King said as he raised his arms up, a welcoming tone clearly heard even though Rei herself didn't quite understand.

“This … has turned into a very bad day …” Rei said, her eyes quaking in subtle, yet strangely fierce anger, her red eyes looking a bit more akin to blood as it welled up, and compiled within her.

Analysing her surroundings, Rei quickly saw how different the structure's compositions were, in comparison to what she was familiar with. Beginning with the room itself, it was a very spacious area, with 3 grand pillars, having the out-of-place Ionic design, on either side upholding the ceiling. Looking around on the left hand side, there were numerous paintings plastered across the walls of this hall; of beautiful landscapes, of, what seemed to be, former kings and queens, of harrowing moments about… people holding balls of flame?

‘How odd, Cast-type Gifted?’

On the right hand side, meanwhile, had metallic suits of armour lined up, just like what medieval knights used to wear …

‘Shit … no don’t tell me …’ Rei gulped as her mind slowly started computing the situation she was in.

Finally facing forward, she saw a small set of steps needed to be taken to reach the tall, noble seat in the middle of the elevated platform. Not only that, it was outfitted with shining gold and dazzling jewels, sparkling due to the radiating sunshine originating from the glass behind; three large, stained glasses similar to that of the Chartres Cathedral's, with unique designs (Goddess Ylen's symbols) visible. It was most certainly a throne room, one of unreasonable lavishness and extreme luxury.

‘Fuck, fuck, shit, fuck! This can’t be real right, tell me this isn’t real!’ Rei grit her teeth silently, holding her hair, as if trying to knock some sense into her head as she saw her surroundings as clear as glasses without lenses.

Rei put her hands on the cold, hard, and white marble floor, veins present just beneath her knuckles as her fingers slid across, seemingly trying to grip onto the marble, perhaps hoping that it was just an illusion she was forced into by a Gifted person.

…

It was real.

Her mind ran rampant, several thoughts running through her brain at once, debating what her course her action would be, most involving the spread of the colour red through what seemed to be a throne room.

‘No … calm down, not like this …’ Rei forcefully calmed herself, clenching her fist as if she was trying her best to imagine a stress toy on her hand, one that …

… she could rip the ever living shit out of.

‘I’ll kill you al–’ Rei started to stand up, seemingly ready to pounce on the bearded man wearing a crown that first welcomed them into this new, and strange world.

That was, until …

“Rei! Are you alright!?” Hiro pat her on the shoulder, the worried tone in his voice having an odd calming effect to Rei’s boiling frustration which was about to collapse entirely.

‘Right … this isn’t the time for this …’ Rei lightly slapped Hiro’s hand away, and stood up, the scene of Uruka asking questions with a somewhat … happy expression.

“Y-You mean we get stuff like … p-powers? Abilities? Gifts!?” She asked, the glimmer of hope and excitement very much present in her eyes.

Rei would have thought that this was idiotic, since everyone knows that Gifts were something that you had since birth, however what she wasn’t focusing on wasn’t the words of Uruka, but rather …

“||𝙹 ᒲᔑᒲᔑ ᓭ𝙹 ⎓ᔑℸ ̣ , ∴⍑ᒷリ ᓭ⍑ᒷ ∴𝙹∷ᒷ ⍑ᒷᒷꖎᓭ ᓭ⍑ᒷ ᓭℸ ̣ ∷⚍ᓵꖌ 𝙹╎ꖎ!” The man who looked like a King said, stroking his beard.

Immediately, with a surprised expression, Uruka muttered the words …

“S-Status?” And all of a sudden, she looked as if she was reading something.

“W-We level up by killing monsters? S-So its just like a game …” Uruka’s mood seemed to be downed by a little bit, but the glimmer in her eyes were still unmistakably very much present.

‘What language is that … how is she conversing without problem in Japanese?’ Rei thought, scoffing inside of her head.

‘Well whatever, I’ll be able to get a grasp of it in a moment.’ She started thinking about her next course of action.

"Status..." Rei said in a soft whisper that she would only hear.

“Tch …” Rei clicked her tongue silently.

She had a little knowledge about these stereotypes and this was usually the part where a floating board tells her what her abilities are.

"Properties?" Rei whispered again.

"Statistics?" At this point Rei had already given up.

'A leveling system? You level up by killing monsters? What a scam …'

Rei couldn't distinguish between truth or lie, she was confused, and not only could she not understand how these highschool children would defeat a demon lord but she could not understand the words coming out of the natives.

‘These people … are they secretly Gifted? Or are they just fools?’ She couldn’t help but to stop and think, ‘Are these people crazy?’.

It was nothing but a natural thought, after all, if a normal person was in Rei's shoes they would have been panicking right at that moment.

"My name is Hiro, this girl is Uruka, and this girl is ..."

'You fool! You just gave your own names to a person who just basically kidnapped you!' Rei screamed internally.

But it seemed as if these two people were screwed in the head, an otaku she used as a bread shuttle and a boytoy she used as someone to talk to because all the other students were too afraid or weirded out to approach her.

‘You’d be laughing right now wouldn’t you? Damn bitch …’ Rei cursed a specific white haired girl in her head.

Well, she couldn’t really complain though, after all, she was also …

“My name is Yuusha, I am pleased to greet a servant of Ylen.” Rei interrupted, with a courteous tone present in her voice, giving off a very maiden-like charismatic smile as she took the reins of the conversation away from Hiro.

… someone who wasn’t normal.

“Errr … What did you say?” Hiro asked Rei, seemingly not being able to understand her words.

Well, it was an understandable reaction for him, it was in another language that he wouldn’t possibly know of after all, and the same went for Uruka, who stared at Rei silently, her face also harbouring very visible amounts of confusion.

However, to the other party …

“Ooooh, Yuusha, what a great name, it rolls off the tongue! Truly the Goddess Ylen has blessed this most pious one with a trio of true heroes! And even one with no need for translation magic to converse!”

‘It works … and it seems from his reaction that he did not have any trouble in understanding my words, and judging from the reactions of those two, it seems that my hypothesis was correct …’ Rei thought inside of her, briefly indulging in a moment of self-praise.

Her hypothesis wasn’t anything great to be all that honest, it was just simply that she wasn’t given a beginner's package, the one that contained this ‘translation magic’.

‘Goddammit …’

Why was it? Why did Uruka and Hiro get this ‘translation magic’, and she didn’t? Was it related to the fact that she perhaps did not have a status board? Well, whatever the case was, there was one thing that was sure.

‘Translation magic or not, as long as i’ve heard or read it before, it doesn’t matter as it all takes a moment to decipher …’ Rei giggled proudly by a bit internally, again praising her own talent.

Rei absorbed the contents of their conversation, every time she heard a new word, she would attach a term to this, this was how she became multilingual back on Earth, by listening to the contents of a foreign conversation, she could learn that language or a bare outline of it within minutes.

It was something that was beyond just ‘talent’ but nonetheless it was something that she had, call it a gift even, but the situation was is that she was simply engineered with a capacity like this, as not to lose to her former friends, Aria, Fel, and Zed.

Rei kept laughing within, pride swelling up inside of her, until all of a sudden a new person, who had obviously stood very quiet suddenly entered the fold.

“My name is Vitorja Gasciulli, the second princess of the Kingdom of Maltha, as well as its Oracle.” The yellow-haired girl, Vitorja, said with a cheerful smile, one that carried great hope and expectations for her it seemed.

'Oracle? What's an Oracle? Yet another term I am unfamiliar with, although it vexes me, I did just start speaking the language.' Yuusha thought before thinking of her next words.

She could not be cautious enough with her words in the face of royalty.

'Although I doubt they would hang the person that they think is going to save their country in the long term for such a low case like lese majeste, it would be better to ensure safety.'

“What a beautiful name, even more so than mine.” Rei said with a smile that rivalled the princess’ own, unnerving Uruka and ignoring Hiro who were watching silently.

“You flatter me too much, O Great Heroine Yuusha.” The princess said so while putting her hand out, asking for a handshake.

'It would be rude to leave a princess hanging huh?' Rei thought as she felt inwardly disgusted at this. She was forced to greet her kidnapper with a smile and even shake her hand, but she still shook her hand nonetheless.

However, when Yuusha made even the slightest bit of contact with Vitorja's hand, something unexpected occurred.

"ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!"

The princess … Vitorja suddenly started screaming, her once cheerful face was now contorted in pain, she knelt on the ground while both her hands were on her head.

The knights, who surrounded the three, drew their swords and closed in on Yuusha, who was confused.

"You fiend! What did you do to Her Highness!?" One of the knights said, unlike the other knights, this one had no helmet, his grey hair was short, and he looked to be in his mid-20s.

'Considering how this one spoke to me first while the others are keeping silent, this must be a person in a higher ability and position.' Rei thought while examining the knight with gray hair.

"Lionel, stay back." The King said in an authoritative voice which was unlike the happy-go-lucky tone he was using earlier.

"But my liege!" The knight, Lionel as he was referred to, objected.

"Are you questioning my orders, Lionel? Sheathe your sword, Vitorja is merely suffering from the drawback of her skill."

"But for her to suffer to this degree!"

"It would appear that the Heroes' presence is very important to the fate of humanity then."

"I...understand." The grey haired-knight… Lionel sheathed his sword, with the other knights also following suit.

In this short span of time, Vitorja had already fainted from the pain, prompting the King to make a sign with his hand, signalling a few maids to carry her out of the room.

'What a cold parent, his daughter faints from agonising pain and his expression doesn't look like he even cares.' Rei judged the King silently.

However it could also be that the King was a great actor, as being a ruling monarch required a great control over one's emotions. He could possibly be tearing up inside and blaming Rei for the pain that assaulted her daughter.

'Well I'm not one to judge though.' Certainly Rei was not a saint, but that didn't mean she believed in anything like morals. If all the people who were transported right this second died, she wouldn't bat an eye, she would even check their corpses if they carried anything useful she could use.

The 'connection' she had for these people did not mean anything, they are merely acquaintances that Rei talked with everyday. Rei could replace them at any time.

"I am deeply sorry, O' Great Heroes, but unfortunately, your statuses will have to be scanned..." The King gives a faintly worried glance at Vitorja, who was being carried away on a stretcher before continuing.

"Tomorrow. Your statuses shall be scanned tomorrow. In the meantime, please feel free to explore the castle." The King claps and three young men come out from the same doorway which Vitorja exited from.

"These squires shall be responsible for guiding you throughout the castle, as well taking care of your needs. If you have any questions or requests, you may request them for assistance." The King added.

"Greetings, O' Great Hero, this insignificant one’s name is Zaren. My position is that of a squire and I am very honoured to be the guide of the esteemed Hero, please do not restrain yourself and ask me if there is anything you need." Zaren says so while making a perfect 90 degree angle bow.

Met with this seemingly genuine dedication, Rei thought to herself for anything she should prioritize, and not long after, she found a glaringly obvious answer.

“Tell me about this world.”

———————————————————————————————————————

Meanwhile, in another realm, far outstretched from the hands of mere mortals ...

The sky's colour was absolutely distorted, possessing a bizarre collection of Amaranth, Burlywood, Coquelicot, just to name a few of the more "vibrant" colours from the collection of what seemed to be millions.

The lower plains appeared to be a vast, flat field of pink grass that seemed to stretch on and on and on and on and on, seemingly infinitely. There, several hundreds of thousands of beings were fighting and arguing, with utter pandemonium reigning over this massive group of humanoid creatures.

In the middle of it all, however, was an incredibly tall tower, one penetrating the clouds and going above and beyond. At the top of this tower was another, wider platform that broke the laws of physics and basic engineering. And there he sat on nothingness, humming a humble, slow tune as he prepared something in front of him; a blazing fire that was not supported by anything and an elegant tea cup that was floating, both concepts defying gravity.

"Let's see… hot water, Ihre Mutter leaves, and a proper fire." He said, scratching his hair whilst thinking.

Making weird hand gestures, a dark hole suddenly ripped through the fabric of reality to deliver a couple of leaves and a metallic cauldron filled with water. Pointing the cauldron to the direction above the fire, it follows without question.

“Hmhm … hmmm ♪”

While humming, he looked down upon the cauldron, the water reflecting his face right back at him. Purple eyes that seemed to contain the souls of the damned, black hair that seemed to mirror the colour of Death itself, and a dashing face that could make even Goddess of Love, Alsfrogia's heart flutter.

"Now aren't I so handsome?" He said to himself, posing in weird and whacky ways to further express his self gratitude.

He was having a leisurely time alone, when, suddenly, a ridiculously well dressed imp appeared right in front of his face, using some sort of teleportation scheme to get into his realm.

"Why if it isn't Dies Nüsse. Get out of my face." He said angrily, annoyed that a mere servant of the Gods and Goddesses acted so rudely in front of the great him. "So for what purpose is your unceremonious visit?" He said, disgruntled that he was being bothered.

"Kreek. I have been tasked with delivering you a message. Kreek." The imp responded, making shrieking noises at the start and end of its sentence.

"From whom and what?" Again, he asked with intensity, getting impatient as time went by.

"Kreek. It is from Goddess Ylen. Kreek."

"Oh, it's from her." Despite being annoyed, he decided to listen anyway.

"Kreek. 'Entity of Chaos, Yiutherceus, what have you done– Nevermind, there's no point in asking. I believe that you have an explanation for what is going on as of right now.' Kreek." The imp responded with a perfect rendition of Ylen's voice, with the all too familiar tone directed towards Yiutherceus.

"Hold on, what exactly is going on here?" Yiutherceus, as referred to him by this message, asked with an aggressive tone.

"Kreek. I am only a lowly messenger, but it would seem that the High Gods are facing some sort of unknown occurrence. There appears to be a foreign entity that crossed through the ethereal wall without the jurisdiction of the Gods and Goddesses. Kreek." The imp finally spoke of its own accord, a raggedy tone fit for an eerie appearance.

"Is that so? That would explain some of Ylen's behaviour." Yiutherceus said aloud, thinking about Ylen's sudden outburst from earlier, "Very well. I'll see to it that I will respond personally. You can take your leave." He ordered.

The imp bowed to show respect, as it suddenly vanished into thin air. In spite of his annoyance, the news delivered to him took a hold of Yiutherceus' interest, seeing as how Ylen was bothered by something that he, for once, wasn't related to in any capacity.

“This day has certainly turned interesting …” He said to himself softly.

Looking around after the messenger's delivery sparked his curiosity, there, he saw it. Sitting on a beautifully crafted wooden cabinet, was a small tree on a pot.

‘To think … after a few thousand years … I can finally use this again? Let’s get this show on the road!’ He thought to himself, his body coursing with excitement and glee.

Glistening in the radiance just under the small tree was a single fruit, an apple.

However, unlike normal apples, this one glowed eerily from its relatively dark surroundings, whilst its surface looked animated as blood streams moved fiercely, yet contained inside, somehow looking a bit solid.

Though that would be considered to be quite abnormal already, the most abnormal fact that one could really feel is how the apple oddly felt … like a prison?

And even with its special aura, which looked to be feeding on the mana in the air around it, it had a bit of a tempting effect, beckoning those who stare, and making itself look absolutely delectable to those who stare.

‘Though, that wouldn’t work on a divine being …’ Yiutherceus thought, as he touches the ground and proceeds to walk over to the potted plant.

"A new toy has arrived." He said, with his grin growing ever so widely to inhumane proportions, picking the fruit off of the tree.

═──────═══✠═══──────═